Who are My Brothers?
by OneHorseShay
Summary: Sequel to 'We Love Each Other'. Life, fulfillment of dreams and hardships continue for Jade, Freddie and the rest of the former Hollywood Arts students along with Freddie facing a question he really never thought he'd have to answer in supposedly being an only child: 'Who are my brothers'


Hello dear readers. In wanting to give you all an additional Thanksgiving present, here is the first chapter to a new story that I will start publishing in January of next year.

Timeline and Canon considerations: this is set about a year and three months (give or take a week) after the end of 'We Love Each Other', obviously post-Victorious and iCarly. Sam & Cat as a show is clearly AU to the parent shows (S&C don't know each other before the pilot, Cat's bibble backstory is completely different than it was in 'Tori Goes Plantium' and S&C!Sam as a plot point is 16 years old in 2013 (or it might be the year 2015 according to 'Dollsitting') while iCarly!Sam is 19 years old) and incompatible to the shows as is, but elements and maybe entire episodes from the show may be lifted and/or referenced in this story.

Fanfic-Reader-88 has a preview chapter out for his story with hopefully a further update in the near future (M-rated kiddies, use some discretion). PD31 has updated 'A Place to Call Home' and a new story, 'ShelbyVision'. Check them out after you finished reading and reviewing this.

Without further ado, on with the story.

* * *

Who are My Brothers?  
By OneHorseShay

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. For God sakes, don't sue.

Rating: T Language, Violence, Adult Themes/Content (Rating subject to change)

Pairings: Jade West/Freddie Benson (Jedi), Tori Vega/Beck Oliver (Bori), Cat Valentine/Robbie Shapiro (Cabbie) and various other minor pairings.

Summary: Sequel to 'We Love Each Other'. Life, fulfillment of dreams and hardships continue for Jade, Freddie and the rest of the former Hollywood Arts students along with Freddie facing a question he really never thought he'd have to answer in supposedly being an only child: 'Who are my brothers?'

Starring  
Elizabeth 'Liz' Gillies and Nathan Kress

Also starring

Max Schneider, Avan Jogia, Leon Thomas III, Matt Bennett, Daniella Monet,  
Drew Roy

Special Guest Stars  
Ariana Grande and Jennette McCurdy

And

Victoria Justice  
as

Victoria 'Tori' Vega

Chapter 1: New and Familiar Faces

UCLA Campus  
Los Angeles, CA  
Monday, September 30, 2013

Jonathan, a fairly handsome eighteen year old teenager with slightly messy short dark hair, blew out a nervous breath while he stood and looked down at his map of campus with dozens if not hundreds of students making their way around to the various buildings. He stood at about five foot eight inches with a slender build, but still had defined muscles under his white v-neck T-shirt and unbuttoned red and blue plaid flannel shirt.

Today was the third day of college for the Manhattanite and he was still trying to get his bearings on the large campus and work out the best routes to go from one class to the other. He cracked a smile as he figured out his position relative to his destination then quickly started on his way so he wouldn't be late to his afternoon class. Fortunately he wasn't too far away and felt confident that he could easily walk the distance and arrive on time for class.

Music 120A Music Theory IV  
Schoenberg Music Building  
UCLA Campus  
Los Angeles, CA  
Monday, September 30, 2013

He let out a soft breath past his lips that let out the tension he was feeling at seeing a welcoming sight that it was a fairly small class with only about ten students. He had felt a little overwhelmed in his general education classes with two to three hundred students in each of them, but this was a class size he could be comfortable with handling.

He received a few polite smiles from his fellow students that he assumed were freshmen, but with the talent to be in the upper level musical theory class. A few of the female students gave him polite if not outright flirtatious smiles as he was considered a fairly good looking teenager back home and would have been considered a ladies man if he had decided to use his charm on a regular basis to snag the girls, something that actually confused the hell out of his father about him not using it.

The lecturer Mister Marschak arrived, a young man in his late twenties with a short beard and friendly deposition, and introductions were quickly made by everyone and the basics for what was expected in the class, making the next hour and a quarter go by in quick, but comprehensible blur. As the class exited from being dismissed, Jonathan had to politely dodge the advances of several of the girls just as the class ended.

He was the last one in the classroom after the last girl decided that she'd try for another time and since he was in no rush to make it to another class until about one thirty, he decided to spare a few minutes to try out the piano as all he had in his college apartment was his keyboard and missed the realness of a real piano. The teenager took a seat at the bench in front of the piano at the front of the class, smiling for the chance to be in front of one again. He started softly playing on the keyboard and softly sung to himself for about a minute or so.

_"You tell all the boys 'No'. Makes you feel good, yeah. I know you're out of my league, but that won't scare me away, oh, no…"_

_"…would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight?"_ He smiled as he finished the song.

A soft laugh called out to his immediate right with an accompanying clap, "That was fantastic."

He opened his eyes and looked way from the keys to look up at the speaker of the compliment, expecting on of his classmates that had returned or a student from the next class. His mouth dropped open in surprise at seeing the smiling face of the lovely pale nineteen year old, Jadelyn 'Jade' West as she rested her forearm on top of the piano. She wore her slightly dark brunette colored hair in loose curls a few inches past her leather jacket covered shoulders with a combination of blue and green highlights. Her face was decorated with a tasteful left eyebrow piercing and a small diamond right nostril nose stud.

He had seen her in pictures—on-line and magazines—on television and somewhat it person. He had always known that she was a beautiful girl, but seeing her this close in person was an entirely different experience. He had to clear his throat several times before he nervously laughed, "Ah… Jade West? Hi—I'm ah… I'm a big fan."

She politely nodded her head to the side and returned with a soft smile. "So you recognized me? Thank you, I appreciated it…" She finished with a teasing voice, "Have you bought my album?"

His nervous smile became a relieved smile, instantly feeling relaxed in her surprisingly easy going nature then he answered, "Of course, it's pretty inspirational and I saw your show in Madison Square Garden."

She raised her pierced eyebrow and questioned, "Inspirational? You found my music inspirational or are you just trying to flatter me?"

"No, I mean yes, I mean…" He waved his hands in front of himself and let out a nervous laugh, "…you have so many songs on there that are just so moving: about how we make our own decisions about relationships and not leave it up to Fate, there's the one about the difference in the love of a father and a dad, how we chose to make our own family… I could go on."

She raised a hand to cut him off, but politely smiled to him. "It's okay. I get it. I'm flattered and glad that my music could have an impact on you."

He blew out a relieved breath and put on a boyish grin.

She tilted her head slightly to the side and gave him an odd look that sent a worried shiver through him in that he had just offended her in some way, but he had a reprieve from such a possibility as she continued in a casual voice to ask, "I noticed in that entire exchange, I never got a name. When I get to have a one-on-one meeting with a fan, I think it's nice that I at least hear their name. I think it is only polite."

"Ah…" He cleared his throat and answered with a joyful laugh, "Oh, my name? My name… my name is Jonathan… Jonathan Benson, I go by Jon."

She raised her pierced eyebrow and teasingly questioned, "Benson? Your last name is Benson?"

He glanced back to the keys of the piano and chuckled with a familiar boyish grin to Jade's eyes, "Yeah, name's Benson."

She casually commented, "It's a good name… it'll be my last name in a few years—maybe sooner."

He looked up with a slight flush on his cheeks at thinking she had just made a pass at him until his mind reasserted why he laughed off in the first place to her that his last name was Benson. He was quite well aware that her fiancé was Fredward 'Freddie' Benson of former iCarly fame and the inventor of the filming technique that allowed any monitor to display three-D images without the need for special glasses.

He laughed off being caught off guard, "It is a good name… I get it from my father." He suddenly sucked in a breath through his teeth as he realized how insensitive the comment could be as the song about fathers and dads was quite emotionally painful and obviously came from the heart. He quickly recovered and hoped to direct the conversation in another direction before she could get mad at him by asking, "So why is the famous Jade West here?"

She leaned her head slightly to her right and decided to indulge a fan, "I'm here for the next class that starts in a few minutes, the music composition seminar."

He knotted the muscles around his eyes and questioned with evident surprise lacing his voice, "You're a student? Music composition? You? You're a world famous musician with a platinum album; why would you be taking music composition?"

She knowingly smiled to him and answered, "I take my craft _very_ serious, whether it is music, acting or screenwriting, I intend to learn all I can. I got where I am through studying and hard work…" She softly smirked and softly laughed off, "And I'll admit with a little luck in getting to perform in the twenty twelve Platinum Music Awards. Don't underestimate a lucky break."

He gave her a respective nod as his father had taught him the importance of such opportunities. That was how his father defined 'lucky breaks': where preparation met opportunity and in his eyes, she sure took advantage of that opportunity. "I'll remember that. Thanks for the advice."

"You're welcome… this is probably a silly question with hearing you play, sing and you're sitting here after a music class, but are you hoping to make it in the music business or is this just a hobby for you?"

"I'm hoping to become a steady musician, but if I don't make it, I hope to start my own record company. I could be part of the music industry that way… my father is hoping that I'll go that route since he's a business man. I guess he appreciates the power of it: you make your own opportunities, your own fate and not depend on someone else's whims."

She smiled along and quickly agreed, "I can understand about taking your own fate in your hands. Freddie and I made her our bitch."

He raised a curious eyebrow at her statement and she quickly covered her mouth with a hand to shield herself from mild embarrassment.

"Pardon my language, it just… well you've heard my album. It's quite autobiographical than one might believe."

He nodded along in understanding, knowing that along with the powerful uplifting songs that bordered on being power ballads, there were a lot of pain and hurt in some songs that she had told the story of struggling to overcome them.

"Jade! Jade!"

The dark brunette turned to the voice calling out and Jonathan looked between the gap between the musical star and the piano to look on the owner of the voice. He could barely believe his luck for the day in meeting Jade West and now he thought he was just dreaming as he saw another famous musician enter the classroom and approach them: Victoria 'Tori' Vega.

Jonathan's mouth dropped opened at seeing the lovely musician as just like Jade, pictures and video of her didn't do her justice.

The lovely young lady gave him a beaming smile when she walked up next to Jade and noticed him sitting at the piano. He heard a soft teasing in her voice as she greeted him, "Oh, hello?"

The former Manhattanite took several breaths to push down his nervousness at being in the presence of two very lovely and famous singers/actresses and what he chalked up to his imagination of Tori giving him a once over with her eyes. "Ah, hi?"

"I guess you recognize me?"

He nodded along, not trusting his voice for the moment then finally answering, "Yes ma'am." He blew out a breath and stated in a casual tone that he hoped had suppressed his nervousness, "I'm Jonathan."

Jade laughed with a slight poke of her elbow to Tori's ribs, "Jonathan _Benson_."

She looked to Jade to see if she had heard correctly with a raised eyebrow. "Benson?"

The slightly darker brunette let out a soft laugh that was quite a pleasant sound to Jonathan's ears as well as her smile to his eyes.

Jade casually continued, "Yes, Benson and he's a fan of mine."

"Oh? So you have two Bensons that like your music?"

She turned her head to look at the longer brunette and idly comment, "Maybe two and a half since Mrs. Benson is still on the fence on liking my music. There are some songs that kind of creeps her out—I still creep her out."

Tori answered, seeming to forget that Jonathan was sitting in front of them, "Two years and she still can't fully accept her baby boy is with you. She's going to be something at the wedding. Are you _going_ to invite her to the wedding?"

Jade glanced away and shrugged a shoulder, "Freddie says yes, I think it's still up in the air…"

Jonathan remained quiet and tried to will himself in being invisible at listening to the girls freely discuss Jade's future wedding plans with Freddie. However, he of course was unsuccessful in trying to make himself invisible as Tori glanced back over to Jonathan and embarrassingly continued, "I'm sorry, I'm being rude. I'm Tori V—"

Jonathan was quick to interrupt so that he could let her know that he did recognize her, "I'm a fan of your music too Miss Vega."

Tori slightly blushed and answered, "Thank you."

Jade softly teased, "Did you buy her album too?"

"I did. It was—"

The pale young woman cocked her pierced eyebrow, "Completely different than mine in being all upbeat and something you could dance to? 'Shut up and Dance', 'Gold'—I still have my suspicions on who the guy you're talking about in that song is—'Shake'."

He looked back and forth between the girls, each giving him a curious expression, and answered in a diplomatic manner that his father would be proud to see, "You two have very unique styles of music that is appreciable on their own merits and quite enjoyable."

Jade rolled her tongue over the front of her teeth and gave Tori a sly expression. She looked back to Jonathan and idly commented that seemed more like a mild tease, "Well that was a charming answer."

The handsome lean teenager put on a slightly worried expression.

Tori softly nudged Jade in return. "I guess 'charming' is a Benson trait."

Jonathan looked slightly lost at the apparent inside joke when the highlighted hair musician softly chuckled.

He looked past the girls and noticed that a few more students were slowly filtering into the room, signaling that the next class was about to start. He quickly stood up from the bench and awkwardly laughed out nearly as a star struck fan, which wasn't far from the truth. "I better get going. I wouldn't want to interrupt your class."

Jade politely smiled while Tori beamed him a friendly smile. The pale skinned musician remarked, "Nice to meet you Jonathan."

"Ah yeah, you too Miss West." He looked to Tori and managing to clamp down on any nervousness slipping into his voice, "It was a… real joy and pleasure to be able to meet both of you in person."

Jade offered, "You too. We'll see you around? Between classes?"

He charmingly smiled to the pair while answering and suppressing a fanboyish feeling in his chest. "Yeah, good luck with your music."

The pale musician politely remarked, "You too. You sound like you have some real talent."

Jonathan suppressed a smile from the vote of confidence from the talented and successful musician. He picked up his book bag and walked around the girls to head out of the room, drawing the attention of one or two other ladies in the class.

As soon as Jonathan had exited the room, the younger Vega sister softly mocked, "Your people skills have really gotten better."

Jade rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms under her chest. "I just didn't want to alienate a fan then him going on TwitFlash and trashing me."

Tori smirked and gave her an expression that showed she didn't believe a word then thumbed over her shoulder and softly laughed to her friend, "Is it just me, but was there a little bit of a resemblance to Freddie?"

Jade idly shrugged a shoulder and casually remarked, "He's almost as good looking as Freddie."

Jonathan Benson's Apartment  
Just off the UCLA Campus  
Los Angeles, CA

Jonathan unlocked the deadbolt and lock then opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside after coming back from his one thirty class. It was a fairly large and well furnished apartment, far too much for a freshman in college to be able to afford, especially without a roommate to share the rent, but nevertheless it was him for the foreseeable future. His father wanted to make it on his own, but justified the expense of providing for an apartment during college to give him a refuge from the more unsavory elements of college life that could derail his plans.

He pulled out his laptop from his book bag then dropped the bag in one of the cushioned chairs then walked around to take a seat on his couch and boot up his laptop on his lap. He brought up a browser window and sent a chat request through PearChat when he saw a particular person on-line.

A few moments later a girl appeared on the screen with quite a familiar, if not identically looking face to those that had gone to Hollywood Arts in the last few years or seen her few performances: Cat Valentine. However, she was not Cat and her hair was slightly darker shade than Cat's red velvet color. She asked in a far more normal pitch voice than the former Hollywood Arts student, _"So how were the classes today?"_

The brown eyed teenager laughed out over his right shoulder towards the computer as he opened his refrigerator, "Baby sis, you will not believe who I met today."

"_It's L.A. and Hollywood, you could have met anyone."_

"I could, but you still wouldn't believe who I met today between classes."

She laughed and decided to humor him, _"Okay, who did you meet today?"_

"I was hanging out for a few extra minutes at my music composition class to play a little on the piano in the room and Jade West walked up to me and complimented on my playing and singing."

The dark redhead laughed and raised a hand to wave him off. "You're joking."

He laughed in return, "No, I'm not and it gets more unbelievable. Just a few minutes later, Tori Vega showed up for the next class."

She lost her smile and looked onto him with a dumbfounded expression. Her mouth started moving for a few seconds before she finally could utter, _"I read that they were going to UCLA between albums and tours and movies, but to actually get a chance to meet them, that's… that's amazing. They're not in your class are they?"_

"No, they're in the one after it."

"_Do you think you could accidentally stay late and get me some autographs?"_

He tilted his head to the side. "I would hate to try something so blatant, but… you are my baby sister aren't you and you love them so much? And Jade asked if we—I assumed including Tori—would see each other in passing between our classes and they were really friendly. I don't think they would mind if I tried."

She let out a thankful giggle. "You can always turn on that Benson charm of yours the ladies love."

Jonathan looked away and chuckled before looking back at the screen to his sister. "That charm you and dad think I have probably won't work on them since one, they're famous musicians and I'm just some guy from New York and two, apparently Freddie Benson is a charmer himself and they're used to it."

The dark redhead laughed, _"It sounds like something to shoot for in beating. You know dad would want you to try."_

The handsome freshman rolled his eyes and shook his head, understanding quite well his father's competitive nature. _"I'm not sure they would be too appreciative when they are both attached even if I don't mean it that way."_

Amanda didn't look too convinced, but let it drop by asking, _"So you'll try to get me an autograph the next time you see them?"_

He nodded his head and sweetly answered, "Yes, I will try on Wednesday."

_"Thanks."_

"You're always welcome baby sis. So how's mom and dad?"

Cat Valentine/Sam Puckett Residence  
Apartment 22  
Venice, CA  
Monday, September 30, 2013

The six year old Ian West happily held his game controller as he played his video game next to his opponent sitting beside him on the blue couch. His opponent for the game was a handsome teenager in his late teens who looked nearly identical to Carly Shay's 'bad boy' ex-boyfriend Griffin.

The doorbell rang, but the pair ignored it as they focused entirely on the game in front of them on the HD TV. The doorbell rang a second time and this time the teenager shouted, "Sam! Sam? Someone's at the door."

No one responded other than the ringing stopping and be replaced with heavy knocks on the door and the sound of Jade shouting, "Cat! Sam! Someone open up!"

The teenager spared a glance away from television screen and didn't see the blonde headed former Seattleite. He looked back to the screen to see that Ian had gotten ahead of him in the score and quickly hit the pause button.

"Hey?" Ian pouted.

"Sorry little man, I got to get the door," he answered as he got up from his seat. He took a quick peak out of the small window of the door then opened the heavy brown door.

Jade knotted her brow and slowly asked when she caught sight of the teenager, "Rex? What are you doing here?"

The taller, handsome teenager was about to answer, but Ian shouted as he dumped his controller on the couch and ran to the pale nineteen year old, "Jadey!"

She knelt down and quickly picked him up despite the fact that he was getting a little heavy for her doing such a thing. Freddie still worried about her injuring her spine despite it being nearly a year and a half since her accident and literal miraculous recovery.

She gave him a peck on the cheek then whispered, "Hey, did you have a good time after school?"

"Yeah! We've been playing video games all afternoon."

Jade's smile tightened, not wanting to show her disappointment to her stepsibling. She looked to the golem with a slightly impatient expression.

Rex immediately answered with his hands up in surrender, "It's an educational game. I swear and Sam gave it to him to play."

The singer frowned as she was doubtful at such an assertion. She looked down at Ian and asked in a motherly tone, "Did you make sure you did your reading and any homework?"

He nodded his head and answered, "I read and wrote with Aunty Cat before she left."

She smiled and placed another kiss on his cheek (causing him to let out a giggle) then casually asked while scanning the apartment, "So where is Cat? Where's Sam?"

"Robbie wanted to take Cat out for a while and Sam…" He looked about for the blonde, but she was nowhere to be seen. He looked over his shoulder towards the glass doors to the patio and saw that Sam's motorcycle was gone. He shouted in annoyance, "That blonde headed she-demon ditched me!"

Jade snorted out with a roll of her eyes. "Of course she did. Sam isn't going to do any work she doesn't have to do." She shook her head and softly laughed, "Well she's not getting paid for today."

The former puppet eagerly asked, "Do I get paid?"

"No. You volunteered to play a game with him—" She glanced to the paused game on the screen. "—a non-educational game from what I can see—and you let Sam ditch out on you. Take it up with her if you think you should get paid."

"You know Sam won't do that."

"Not my problem," she lazily answered and turned her head towards Ian to ask, "Where's your stuff sweetie? It's time to go."

He pointed at the floor at the end of the couch where his small Transformers book bag was resting. She walked around Rex and the back of the couch to come around the other end of couch then pick up the bag. She looked back to the former puppet and remarked, "Tell Cat I'll see her tomorrow and Sam that I'm not paying her for today."

"Are you nuts? That blonde headed demon will kill me."

Jade grinned. "You're a golem remember? As Dusty would say 'that would be a neat trick' even for her."

Rex frowned and shifted from foot to foot while contemplating the point while Jade walked back around the couch to head for the door.

"Bye Rex," the little fellow waved back as the stepsiblings reached the door.

The former puppet raised a hand and chuckled, "Bye little man. You owe me a rematch."

Jade looked over her shoulder and called in a reasonably friendly voice, "Bye Rex."

The stepsiblings exited the apartment and closed the door just as Rex dropped back down in his seat on the couch. He quickly rolled his eyes and sighed when realized he didn't have a ride and he was stuck here until he realized he could call one of his UCLA girls to pick him up.

West Residence  
Los Angeles, CA  
Monday, September 30, 2013

Ruby West may have just about to hit the half century mark in two months time, but she was feeling as alive and well as she did when she was a teenager and looked barely over forty. She was particularly enjoying the lively moment as she was straddling the lap of a very handsome man sitting on her living room couch.

Her arms were around the back of his neck and teasingly asked, "So… are you staying for dinner?"

The forcibly retired Colonel Steven Shay raised a cocky eyebrow and answered in a surprisingly idle voice, "Maybe… do I have to cook?"

She rested her forehead against his forehead and laughed, "You'd deny me one of your home cooked meals?"

He licked his lips and flicked his brow up to indicate that he wouldn't deny her, but a little persuasion couldn't hurt.

The raven hair beauty innocently smiled to him, the same smile that she had given him for more than forty years, then pulled her arms tighter around the back of his neck while she dipped her head and gently pressed her lips against his lips.

He responded to the kiss and secured his hands in the dip of her small of her back.

The kisses were fairly chaste and lazy between the pair, just enjoying the contact with one another, already understanding the deeper meaning behind their actions for being older and wiser. They traded innocent kisses for perhaps a minute or more before the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her.

Ruby nearly jumped off his lap to sit next to him at the sound and Shay looked on mildly dumbfounded about why they had stopped. The West matriarch rapidly cleared her throat and subconsciously tried to straighten her shirt and brush a hand over her jean covered thigh of her casual wear that she had changed into after arriving home from work then looked up to see Jade standing several feet away and wearing an innocent smile. However, Ruby and Shay could see that it was a fake and that she was enjoy seeing them possibly squirm.

Jade's voice was just as lighthearted as her expression, "I'm sorry to interrupt. I didn't realize the Colonel was here and you two would be… 'busy'."

Ruby held her fingertips to her lips and felt like she was a teenager being caught by her mother making out with her boyfriend she wasn't allowed to be alone with at home. She quickly tried to recover by blatantly lying in the hopes that Jade couldn't really tell what was happening from just seeing them from behind, "We were just discussing whether Steven would be staying for dinner."

"Interesting way to… 'communicate'." She looked to the former flyer and asked, "Are you staying for dinner Colonel?"

He didn't look too concerned at being 'caught' by Jade, but glanced to Ruby in a curious expression. "Ah…"

"Yes he is," she answered, taking the decision out of his hands.

The pale musician eagerly asked, "Are you cooking?"

He rolled his eyes and muttered in defeat, "I guess I am. I can't argue with two Lynns."

The West girls smiled to one another, knowing that they were going to be enjoying a nice dinner.

Freddie Benson's Room  
West Residence

The television was playing at the end of room as it had always been situated while Jade snuggled to Freddie's side and he had a protective arm wrapped around her back and resting on her left hip. The former iCarly tech-producer hadn't physically changed much at all over the last year and several months after graduation. He was still ruggedly handsome and had his muscular build.

The pair had changed into nightwear while they continued to digest the wonderfully cooked meal by the retired colonel with neither too eager to move anytime soon which meant there was a good chance that they would be sharing the bed tonight just as they did the first week back from her summer tour.

Jade muttered in mild disgust, "She left him with Rex. Can you believe that?"

He rolled his eyes and answered in a teasing manner, "We're still talking about Sam… is that a rhetorical question?"

"I thought she had grown up a little in the last two years and maybe, just maybe some of Cat had rubbed off of her since they've been living together."

He chuckled, sending a pleasant reverberation through Jade as she rested against him, "I think we may have used up our allotment of miracles."

She lifted her head off his upper chest and shoulder and stole a quick kiss and lovingly smiled. "I hope not. I'd still like to have a few more with you… Sapphire… a son."

Freddie beamed a smile back to her while answering, "Good names for miracles and I know I'm not willing to trade those for Sam to grow up just a little more and besides, their commercial did say they weren't legally responsible for the kids they babysit."

"You mean the same way I'm not responsible for my actions of putting her in the hospital if something ever happened to Ian in their care?"

He arced an eyebrow and playfully questioned, "Wouldn't she heal up before needing to go to a hospital now?"

She looked to him with a cold, dark expression and whispered, "I broke her once; I could do it again no matter how much demon blood runs through her."

He chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood, "I don't doubt you, but on a happier note: How was the rest of your day?"

She slightly frowned at seeing the blatant attempt to steer away from her getting upset, but relented and relaxed back in his embrace. She continued with a quickly calming breath, "It was fine. I'm glad to be back even if I'm going right back to classes."

He hugged her tighter to him for a brief second and kissing the side of her forehead. "I'm glad you're back too. It was a productive, but kind of lonely summer even with making it to a few of your concerts."

She softly bit her bottom lip then quietly asked, "Do you think you could go with me on my next one?"

"I guess it would depend on when and how long… but I'd love to go with you on the next one."

"Then I'll just have to make sure I arrange it so you can come along."

He gently pleaded, "Jade, you cannot let how you handle your career be dictated in trying to make it convenient with my study and work schedule."

"But what if I want to? My career is not more important than us."

He casually ran his fingertips up and down her arm as he replied, "As much as I appreciate the gesture, there's not much you can do in 'arranging'. I'm the one that has to take the time off either from school if you have a fall or spring tour or ditch a summer job for a summer tour."

"I don't want you to put off what you need to get done for your career. You're schooling is vital for your job."

"Well… I'd like to point out that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both dropped out of college and became billionaires."

She held up a finger and placed it on his lips and gave him a stern expression. "Don't even joke about something like that."

He chuckled and grinned widely under her finger. "Yes dear."

She frowned at his response and settled back onto his side.

He kissed her forehead again and whispered, "We'll work it out. We always do."

His reassuring voice of confidence put her at ease and the couple settled back with one another for untold moments until Jade picked up, "We were talking about me today. I would say it was pretty good." She smirked as she recalled a particular fellow UCLA student she had met. "I met an interesting guy just before my music class… he was playing on the piano and he had a pretty good voice…" She smiled in a teasing manner. "…and he was very handsome."

He ran his tongue inside his bottom lip and teased, "Oh? Really? Talented and handsome?"

"Yeah, but that wasn't what made him so interesting."

"You got to spend enough time with him to find out something interesting?"

She teased in response, enjoying the little bit of jealousy possessiveness she could hear in his voice, "Yeah, do you want to know what it was?"

"Yes. I'd like to know who caught your eye… and making me feel a little jealous."

She softly laughed and kissed his cheek before whispering, "His name is Benson."

Freddie knotted his brow at the odd twist. "Benson?"

She idly answered, but there was an underlining playfulness in her voice, "Yeah, Jonathan Benson. He said he got it from his father."

"Technically I got my last name from both since my mom and dad had the same last name."

"You don't find that a _little_ weird?"

He cocked an eyebrow and pointed out, "After all we've seen and been through, two people having the same last name but not being related doesn't exactly rate up there in my 'weirdness' scale."

She snorted out a breath at seeing his point then focused her attention back on the television.

"So you met a handsome guy named Benson with some musical talent?"

"Yep, sure did and I thought there was only one of you."

He pulled her from his side to rest on top of him, drawing a surprised squeak from her while she instantly wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and he rested his hands on the small of her back. He confidently replied with his charming smirk, "Angel, there's only one of me…" He squinted an eye then glanced away as he corrected, "Well actually there is the potential of an infinite number of me according to the many worlds theory and you've already met two of them, but you know what I mean."

"Yeeeaaahhh, I do." She captured his lips and the couple shared a slow, but deep kiss. She was the first to pull away then whispered, "And you're my one and only Benson."

"I'm so happy to hear."

They shared another kiss before she slipped back to his left side and he picked up the remote control that had nearly slipped off the bed to his right. He started flipping through the channels to see what was playing, but stopped when he saw a headline on the bottom of the screen on the Fox News Channel.

She opened her eyes wide and quickly refuted, "No news."

He took a soft breath and tried to answer with a placating tone while motioning the end of the remote control towards the alert on the bottom of the screen, "I know you don't like watching the news, but I want to hear this before I change the channel."

She softly rolled her eyes and softly mocked, "Okay."

She respectfully remained silent as the news broadcaster continued, _"…violence in Egypt continues against Christians by the Muslim Brotherhood in support of toppled former President Hosni Mubarak even as the military attempts to crack down on these radical elements. At least fifty-two Christian schools, convents, monasteries, institutions, and churches have been demolished by these groups since the military removed Mubarak from power, but in all the dark news, I'd like to report on some other news that you may have not heard in the mainstream media and may not believe."_

The broadcaster took a breath and continued with a confident tone, _"There have been rumors and fantastic stories of a mysterious figure interceding to rescue groups and individuals from such violence—including miraculous healings—somehow turning back entire attacks by radical groups in ways that could only be described as… _Biblical_—mass blindings of the attackers… fire from the sky." _

The couple continued to remain silent watching the news channel, Jade not speaking up to change it as the broadcaster continued to report of other strange stories of the mysterious individual apparently appearing all over the world helping people and leaving a trail of dead terrorists in his wake.

He concluded before turning to his guests to debate the wild stories, _"Whether this individual, this… 'boys with the black wings' is real or just an elaborate counterterrorism ploy, he's bringing hope to tens if not hundreds of millions of people world wide who are suffering at the hands of radical Islamists."_

As the broadcaster turned to his guests to begin debating the validity of such reports, Jade softly asked with a hint of sadness lacing her voice, "Have you heard from him?"

Freddie slowly let out a breath and regretfully whispered, "Not in a while… not since he and Heather broke up. Have you prayed to him?"

Jade snuggled her head back into the crook of his neck, feeling a little down at being reminded that not all their friends were happy as they were and whispered, "Yeah… but he doesn't answer."

* * *

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this first (preview) chapter to my new story coming out sometime in January. Yes, Max Schneider is playing Jonathan 'Jon' Benson in this story. For those of those that recognize the name, that is the same Amanda Benson from Nickelodeon's Original Movie, 'Swindled' played by Ariana Grande.

Thanks again for reading.

Special Guest Appearance by Jennifer Connelly as Ruby Lynn West

Special Guest Appearance by Joe Flannigan as Colonel Steven 'Loco' Shay, Ret.


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